China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Chemical injuries
Published in Jan de Boer, Marcel Dubouloz, Handbook of Disaster Medicine, 2020
An overwhelming number of hydrocarbon compounds are produced and used in industry and are frequently shipped in large quantities. Many of these compounds are flammable, and accidents involving them lead to toxicity from combustion products when they ignite, as well as the toxicity from the original compound21. Depending on their chemical structure and principal toxic action, volatile hydrocarbons are classified as aliphatic (acetone, propane, butane, various alcohols, aldehydes, ketones and ethers), halogenated aliphatic (trichloroethylene, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, methylchloride, freon and perchloroethylene) or aromatic (benzene, toluene, xylene, aniline and phenol). In addition, there are several widely used mixtures of volatile hydrocarbons such as gasoline and kerosene13. Inhalation of most hydrocarbons does not cause much respiratory irritation or pulmonary damage at low concentrations, although some can be quite irritating at high concentrations and their combustion products may be irritants at any concentration. Some halogenated hydrocarbons can decompose into hydrochloric acid and phosgene when overheated13,21. In general, volatile hydrocarbons cause systemic toxicity, particularly to the liver and kidneys. Central nervous system narcosis, coma, seizures, cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death may also occur13,21.
Experimental Oral Carcinogenesis
Published in Samuel Dreizen, Barnet M. Levy, Handbook of Experimental Stomatology, 2020
Samuel Dreizen, Barnet M. Levy
A special interest in the carcinogenic hydrocarbons was aroused when one of the most active polycyclic hydrocarbons, 20-methylcholanthrene, was synthesized from bile acids. Because the structural resemblance among the carcinogenic hydrocarbons to cholesterol, bile acids, and steroid hormones was so obvious, hopes were high that a common molecular structure, one that was elaborated by the body, would clarify the cancer problem. Thus, the polycyclic hydrocarbons have been intensively studied for their carcinogenic activity by many workers. They are known as “universal carcinogens” because they induce malignant disease after topical application, after injection s.c., after injection i.m or i.v., or after feeding. Because most of the work in experimental carcinogenesis has been done on skin, most is known about skin cancer.
Free Radical Damage and Lipid Peroxidation
Published in Robert G. Meeks, Steadman D. Harrison, Richard J. Bull, Hepatotoxicology, 2020
Richard O. Recknagel, Eric A. Glende, Robert S. Britton
Thus, once lipid peroxidation is initiated, the process can be propagated via autocatalysis, which is dependent not only on oxygen, but on metal catalyzed decomposition of transiently appearing lipid hydroperoxides. Eventual decomposition of the peroxidized fatty acids gives rise to a variety of stable end products. Endoperoxide decomposition yields malonic dialdehyde (Figure 4), easily detected in the widely used thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test (Recknagel et al., 1982). A variety of other carbonyl compounds also appear (Esterbauer, 1985), some of which are toxic (Benedetti et al., 1980, and see below). Peroxidative decomposition of lipids also yields ethane, from omega-3 fatty acids, e.g., linolenic acid; and pentane, from omega-6 fatty acids, e.g., linoleic acid (Sevanian and Hochstein, 1985; Horton and Fairhurst, 1987). Gas chromatographic detection of these short-chain hydrocarbons in exhaled air of experimental animals has proven to be a powerful noninvasive technique for monitoring lipid peroxidation in vivo (Wendel, 1987).
Relevance of animal studies in the toxicological assessment of oil and wax hydrocarbons. Solving the puzzle for a new outlook in risk assessment
Published in Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 2021
Juan-Carlos Carrillo, Dirk Danneels, Jan Woldhuis
A fundamental clue about the chemical composition of the retained alkanes in human livers is obtained from a human study (Barp et al. 2014) that involved the measurement of saturated hydrocarbons in subcutaneous abdominal fat, mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen, liver and lung taken at autopsy from 37 subjects aged 25–91 years (mean 67 years). When discussing the chromatogram obtained of hydrocarbons present in abdominal fat tissue, the authors described the presence of odd numbered n-alkanes as distinct peaks at regular intervals on the downslope of the hump of unresolved highly isomerized branched and cyclic alkanes likely from mineral oil. After identifying these peaks as odd numbered n-alkanes typical of plant origin, such as n-C29 to n-C33, the authors attributed also a transient presence of these hydrocarbons, reasoning that in view of the expected exposure to n-alkanes in vegetables and vegetable oils, a continuous accumulation would have led to far higher concentrations. This is supported by comparing the alkane profile of the fat tissue to that of the liver of the same individual(s), where the peaks representing the odd numbered n-alkanes of plant origin are absent from the liver, but clearly present in the fat. In view of the well-documented metabolic conversion of n-alkanes to fatty alcohols and fatty acids, (McCarthy 1964; Kolattukudy and Hankin 1966; Albro and Thomas 1974) (Tulliez and Bories 1978; Tulliez and Bories 1979), this is indeed what one would have expected, which is in contrast to what we see in the livers of F-344 rats (Figure 8).
Insights into the potential mechanism underlying liver dysfunction in male albino rat exposed to gasoline fumes
Published in Egyptian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 2021
Folarin Owagboriaye, Sulaimon Aina, Rasheed Oladunjoye, Titilola Salisu, Adedamola Adenekan, Gabriel Dedeke
A total of 23 hydrocarbon components were detected in the gasoline used for this study (Supplementary Table S1). Toluene has the highest percentage composition in the gasoline sample. This was followed by o-xylene, naphthalene, undecane, ethylbenzene and p-Xylene. A total of seventeen (17) hydrocarbon components, including gasoline metabolites, were detected in the liver of the experimental rats (Table 3). Benzene was detected in the liver of rats in all the groups. However, benzene level was significantly reduced in group I. Paracyclophane and ethylbenzene were only detected in the liver of rats in group III. Similarly, 4,7-Methano-1 H-indene, Azulene, Cyclobutane, 3-Phenylthiane, Quinoline and 1-benzylindole were only detected in the liver of rats in group V.
Letter to the editor, regarding the publication by Pirow and colleagues “Mineral oil in food, cosmetic products, and in products regulated by other legislations”
Published in Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 2020
Juan-Carlos Carrillo, Dirk Danneels
This is indeed the case and the key to understand the association between MOSH composition and the results of toxicological evaluations. The term MOSH (mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons), as pointed out in the review, was originally intended to describe mineral oil contamination of vegetable oil (Biedermann and Grob 2009) and as indicated on page 5, interferences with the chromatographic MOSH fraction (hump) may result from n-alkanes of plant origin. Unfortunately, the term MOSH has been extrapolated to all types of hydrocarbons of petroleum and synthetic origin, and it inevitably eliminated the distinction between oils and waxes which are compositionally very different products; the latter composed exclusively of n-alkanes and mono substituted alkanes. This chemical distinction is crucial when comparing the “MOSH” term used in rat studies of oils and waxes, and the “MOSH” term used to describe results in human tissues. There are dedicated chapters that review these differences, but we highlight some important associations between hydrocarbon composition and effect which should be reflected in future hazard and risk assessment.